US lawmakers meet Tibet's Dalai Lama in India

Former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks at the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India, June 18, 2024. REUTERS

A group of influential US lawmakers met exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday at his home in India's Himalayas, officials said, despite China's warnings to avoid contact with the Buddhist monk it calls a separatist.

The bipartisan group of seven met the 88-year-old Nobel peace laureate at his monastery in the northern town of Dharamsala, they said, a day after arriving to a warm reception by school children, Buddhist monks and nuns.

The team, led by Michael McCaul, a Republican representative from Texas, who also chairs the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, includes Democratic former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Issues the lawmakers are set to discuss with the Dalai Lama include a US bill that aims to press China to resolve the Tibet dispute and awaits President Joe Biden's signature, McCaul said on Tuesday.

Beijing, which calls the Dalai Lama a dangerous "splittist" or separatist, said it was seriously concerned about the visit and the bill.

It urged the lawmakers not to make contact with what it calls the "Dalai clique" and Biden not to sign the bill.

The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet. Chinese officials chafe at any interaction he has with officials of other countries.

The Dalai Lama has met US officials, including presidents, during previous visits to the United States, but Biden has not met him since taking office in 2021.

He is due to fly to the US this week for medical treatment, but it is unclear if he will have any engagements then.